Women's Hoops Blog

Jayda Evans covers college and pro women's basketball. While its her first year on the Washington beat, she has covered the Storm since its inception. She'll offer observations, critiques, occasional off-beat tales and answers to select e-mail inquires. Evans also has written a book on the Storm and women's hoops, called "Game On!"

What's harder than naming the final three players for the U.S. Olympic team? Apparently getting the committee together to discuss its options.

According to sources close to the decision-making, members of the USA Basketball Women's Senior National Team committee had several scheduling conflicts that prevented them from making their final roster announcement by today, a self-imposed deadline. That means another week for fans to debate whether Storm forward Swin Cash is a better pick than Indiana forward Tamika Catchings or whether Sacramento guard Kara Lawson and forward Rebekkah Brunson should be picked over Connecticut point guard Lindsay Whalen or Washington guard Alana Beard.

USA Basketball expects to have the official announcement made by July 10. USOC will name all Olympians for all sports by the end of the month.

The Storm already has three Olympic representatives in Sue Bird (United States), Lauren Jackson (Australia) and Kelly Santos (Brazil). Jackson is the only player departing early, on July 17, to prepare with her national team, missing five Storm games.

The WNBA will "go dark" from July 28 to Aug. 27 for Olympic competition, giving non-Olympians about two weeks for vacation and requiring them to return in shifts for community work then to join as a group for practice.

"I've never thought about anything else, but that I was going to be in China," said Cash, a 2004 Olympian, of her plans if not named. "I don't have any backup plans. I don't have any vacation time planned. My only plan was China. I guess we'll know in a week or so."

UPDATE: Jackson's "Expect Great" commercial will debut tonight during the Phoenix-Atlanta broadcast on ESPN2 at 4 p.m. PST. The players shot different versions of the campaign and this spot isn't the one Jackson told me about when interviewed following the filming in June, but it's still a good ad. Phoenix G Cappie Pondexter will also be featured tonight and you can check out both here.